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Impromptu most often describes things, such as speeches or gatherings, that are not prepared ahead of time but that instead happen spontaneously. An impromptu concert or photoshoot, for example, is conceived and executed in the moment. Impromptu was borrowed—spelling, meaning, and all—from French in the mid-18th century. The French had gotten the word from Latin, from the phrase in promptu, meaning “in readiness.” But the presence of prompt in there is no coincidence: both impromptu and prompt are ultimately derived from the Latin promere, meaning “to bring forth, take out.”
Examples of impromptu in a Sentence
Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 31 May 2025
In June 2024, Ingrassia appeared in the crowd at an impromptu rally for Holocaust denier and white nationalist Nick Fuentes after Fuentes was ejected from a gathering of the young conservative group Turning Point USA.
—Tom Dreisbach, NPR, 30 May 2025
Founders and executives often shift between roles: CMO, chief people officer and in some cases, impromptu compliance officer, and as a result, strategic thinking gets pushed to the side.
—Niki Jorgensen, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
The Knicks hosted watch parties during the team’s away games during the N.B.A. finals in 1999, and the area outside the Garden has been a spot for impromptu celebrations after big wins for the last few years.
—David Waldstein, New York Times, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for impromptu
Cite this Entry
“Impromptu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impromptu. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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